Council Modernizes Purchasing Code as Water District Reveals Multi-Billion-Dollar Canal Overhaul

Concord's City Council took a significant step toward faster, more flexible public construction procurement while getting its first detailed look at a generational infrastructure challenge: replacing a 90-year-old, 48-mile open canal that loses 2 billion gallons of water a year. The Aug. 11 meeting also featured emotional pleas from residents urging formal discussion of immigrant protections and a warm farewell to a city clerk who served Concord for nearly two decades.

• Council unanimously authorizes design-build procurement, potentially cutting a year off the police department roof and HVAC project timeline
• Contra Costa Water District unveils multi-billion-dollar plan to replace its aging open canal with enclosed steel pipeline, with potential $10–$20/month rate increases starting around 2029
• Residents demand SB 580 discussion, citing ICE enforcement fears on Monument Boulevard, student detentions and businesses losing up to 75% of revenue
• $2M+ sewer repair contract approved despite concerns about cutting into recently resurfaced streets
• City Clerk Joelle Fockler honored as all five councilmembers offer personal tributes ahead of her departure after 19 years of service

The basics: Design-build is a project delivery method authorized for California general law cities under SB 785 (2015) that bundles architectural design and construction into a single contract — rather than the traditional two-step process where a city designs a project first, then separately bids out construction. Concord had never adopted the authority until now.